Today at the 2005 Game Developers Conference Europe in London, Sony's executive vice president for SCEE, Phil Harrison revealed some info about their online strategy for the PS3.
Pressed on the apparent success of Xbox Live compared to the PlayStation 2's online strategy, he indicated that the PS3 would have significant online capabilities, but stressed its nature as an 'open platform', commenting, in an obvious reference to competitor Microsoft:
"Distinct from our competitors, we are happy for publishers to make their own financial agreements directly with consumers."
Full story at Gamasutra.com